Californians Are Now Shaming Their Water-Wasting Neighbors on Social Media

Sprinklers water a patch of grass on the sidewalk in front of a house in Alhambra, Calif. on July 25, 2014. In the latest report released by the California Department of Water Resources on July 23, ten of the state's 12 major reservoirs have fallen below 50 percent of their total capacity as California nears historic lows.

Trapped in scorching heat and facing the state’s worst drought in nearly four decades, some angry Californians are now venting about their water-wasting neighbors on social media.

And they're suing the hashtag #DroughtShaming to do it!

Residents now face up to a $500 fine for washing down driveways and sidewalks, watering lawns and other landscapes or turning on outdoor fountains for the next 270 days, according to a penalty imposed by the California Water Resources Control Board.

“We have been having a drought for three years and now we are entering the fourth year,” Felicia Marcus, Chair at the California State Water Resources Control Board, told ABC News. “We can’t just depend on the hopes that we will get precipitation.”